O3-03-06: biomarkers and neuropsychological measures differentially predict risk of alzheimer's dementia for men and women

The newly published NIA-AA research framework proposes criteria for diagnosing Alzheimer's pathology based on the presence of amyloid, tau, and/or neurodegeneration. This framework operates under the assumption that these are important factors for the neuropathological definition of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, others have argued that the adoption of this framework is premature, and more research is needed to confirm the causal link between these factors and the clinical manifestation of AD and to validate this framework across diverse populations. The present work examines whether baseline biomarkers and neuropsychological tests measures differentially predict conversion from MCI to AD dementia for men and women. Men (n=258) and women (n=186) with MCI at baseline were taken from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Cox survival analyses were conducted, predicting conversion to dementia. Baseline age, education, APOE4 status, CSF Aβ1–42 (Aβ), phosphorylated tau181 (p-tau), p-tau/Aβ, hippocampal and ventricular volume, MMSE, delayed word list recall (RAVLT), naming (BNT), trail making B/A, and the Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ) were entered. Due to multicollinearity, individual biomarker variables and biomarker ratios were analyzed separately. For women, smaller hippocampal volumes (HR=0.63, p=.005), lower RAVLT (HR=0.81, p=.001), lower BNT (HR=0.90, p=.004), and higher FAQ scores (HR=1.14, p